Permutation lock



HENRY O. NIELSEN, 0F TREMONTON, UTAH. V Y

rnannra'rron' Loox.

Application filed April 18, 1921.

To all whom zit may con cera.'

Be it known that l, HENRY 0. NmLsnN, a citizen of the United States, residing at I1-erneuten, in the county of Boxelder, State et Utah, have invented certain new and useful improvements in permutation Locks; and l do hereby declare the Yfollowing to be a lull, clear, and exact description of the inrention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use'the same.

This invention. relates to combination or permutation' locks, and more especially to those having rotating tumblers; and the object ol2 the same is to greatly simplify a lock oli this character and adapt it for use on the door of a safe or vault so that when the saine is closed no part ol the lock is eX- posed enceptiingthe knob or handle and the edges ot the tumblers, but when the door is open the parts of the lock may be readily reached lor cleaning, repair or replacement.

@ne practical means 'for carrying out the invention is set forth below and shown in the drawings wherein: v

Figure l. is a horizontal section through part oi a sajlie door and this lock, showing the bolt as retracted.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the knob spindle, slrowing` in section certain of the parts connected therewith.

Figure il is aninner end elevation of the spindle, showing the bolt partly in section and midway between locked and unlocked positions.

Figure d is a ,detail section on the line Ms o'll Figure l.

Figure 5 is a perspective detail ot one tumbler. y f

In the drawings the letter l) designates the door which is to be locked when closed into coactive position with a wall W, and B is a bolt slidable longitudinally within a suitableguide inthe door and adapted when projected or shot to enter a keeper or hole ll in the wall W', whereas when it is retracted the door may he swung open, lt will be understood without further illustration that, when this invention is applied to the lock on a salie or vault, the bolt herein shown is only one of many mounted within the door and connected so that the movement ot the master bolt moves themvall, the purpose loeing` to lock the door to the sate wall at a plurality ot points; and therefore, instead ol connecting this lock with the master bolt Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. `'7, 1922.

Serial No. 462,219.

as herein shown, it might be connected with the bar extending between a plurality of bolts, and the present invention is tobe understood as. suliiciently broad in scope to cover this idea. Also, while a safe door usually swings open and closed, it is quite possible that this invention could be applied to a lock which prevented a slidingmovement of the door or partly intended to be locked by it.

Coming now to the details of thepresent invention, the spindle l has a handle or knob 2 at its outer end and preferably has its inner portion reduced at 3 so as to leave a shoulder a and again' reduced at 5 so as to leave a second shoulder 6 spaced from the first shoulder tor a purpose yet to appear. Mounted upon the reduced portion 5 is a sleeve 7 held thereon by any suitable means at the inner end of the spindle. As herein shown, a lever 8 projects radially from a nut 9 which is screwed onto the threaded inner end l0 of the spindle against the inner end of the sleeve 7, and the parts held very tightly in place by a jam nut ll. Yet I wish it understod that this description of parts merely delines one construction which may be given them so that they can be assembled, the handle end of the spindle being inserted from the front of the door D and the remaining` parts applied from the inner side of the door, and in their assembly the parts yet to be described can be also applied. liotatably mounted on the reduced portion 3 of the spindle is a collar 18 from which rigidly projects a dog l2. Surrounding the sleeve 7 is a coiled expansive spring 17 whereof one end contacts with the bearing l5 in which the spindle is journaled `and the other end contacts with the nut 9 so that the tendency of the spring is to draw the 'spindle inward as tar as permitted by the collar 13. The knob may be formed in the shape ol a handle which is herein shown as projectini.;` to the lett 'from the spindle, and at such time the dog l2 will project to the right and the lever 8 will stand nearly upright, or a little to the right of the position shown in Figure 3 where itis midway the length of its stroke eli'ected by turning of the spindle. The numeral 18 designates a ,spring or spring actuated detent carriedby the door or the casing of the lock and so disposed that its tip would stand in the path of the lever 8 it' lthe latter were swung to the left in Figure 3, which would shoot f the bolt as yet to be described; and there-` fore, in order to swing the lever in the opposite direction and retract the bolt, it is necessary first to move the lever out of line with the tip of this detent, which movement is effected by drawing the entire spindle forward in its bearing, the spring 17 yielding to permit. Any suitable means may be employed for connecting the lever with the bolt or the series of bolts, but such connection is typically illustrated herein by showing the lever as passing upward through an opening 19 in the bolt.

The description thus far given includes mean for retra'cting or projecting the bolt by the oscillations of a knob spindle intended to be actuated manually, and means for latching or locking the spindle against movement after it has been turned to project `the bolt. This means, as stated, consists of a detent standing in the path of a lever projecting radially from the spindle but `yielding to permit the lever to move to position to shoot the bolt. There-fore, in order to retract the bolt, it is necessary first to slide the spindle in a direction whirh will move its lever out of line with said detent. This sliding is accomplished manually by the operator who grasps the knob and draws it forward, and an important feature-of this invention consists in the provision of an eX- tremely simple permutation mechanism including manually operated tumblers for preventing such forward movement until the tumblers are set to the proper combination.

The numeral 20 designates a studhere shown as standing horizontal, fixed at its outer end within some portion of the lock casing, and projecting directly toward the spindle l, and the front side of this stud has a deep groove` or channel l he numerals 23 designate .tumblers, each being a ring mounted for rotation around the stud as seen, and each having a deep or master groove 2land a large number of shallow or blind grooves 25. These tuinblers are confined in any suitable manner on the stud and will lie side by side and in contact with each other asseen in Figure 1, their forward edges being exposed through a 'suitable opening- 26 in the lock casing at the surface of the door, and such edges having graduations and letters or numbers 2( thereon, opposite their internal grooves. For sake of example let us assume that the master grooves of the first, second, third and fourth tumblers herein shown-are ,respectively opposite their numbers 1, 2, Il, and 4. The dog 12 projects from its collar '13 into the channel 22 in the stud 20, and when the spindle stands at the innerliinit Vof its sliding movement this dog is at the inner end of the channel and its active front edge disengaged from all the grooves in the tumblers.

tumblers ascertain when their grooves come Now when it is desired to unlock the door D, the operator spins the tumblers on the stud until he produces the proper combination Vof letters or numbers, which in the present instance would occur when the units on the tumblers made up the number 1234, and at this time the several master grooves 24: would stand directly opposite the active front edge of the dog 12. Now he grasps the handle or knob 2 and draws forward on the spindle, which movement is permitted because the dog in its forward movement may pass into the alined master grooves. Such forward movement moves the lever 8 out' of line with the detent 18, and then the operator may turn the spindle and the swinging of the lever retracts the bolt B and the door can be drawn open. Later when the door is closed, turning of the spindle in the opposite direction moves the lever alongside the detent which yields to permit such movement, and when the lever has passed the tip of the detent and the bolt has been shot, the detent springs behind the lever and prevents its rearward movement to retract the bolt.

Attention is invited to the utility of the blind grooves 25 which, of course, are shallower than the master grooves in any tumbler and which by preference will be disposed opposite the respective graduations or numbers 27. Without these grooves a skillful cracksman might manipulate the combination and by the feel7 and sound7 of its successively opposite the dog 12, and finally open the lock. But with the blind grooves the structure has the same feel and sound for each tumbler as it would if he had properly set it, and he is mystified and bafiied in his efforts. The drawings show four tumblers side by side, but the invention is notte be limited in this respect. The combination can be changed by substituting other tumblers at any time, or even by transposing the position of those first employed. rlChe parts are accessible fromthe inside of the door when open, and nothing need pro- Aject beyond` its face excepting the handle or knob which itself need only be large enough to be grasped by the fingers. While I have described the bolt B as being that which locks the door, .it is of course possible on large safes or vaults that this bolt shall be that which locks the main bolt or bolts against retraction, and they in turn could be larger and heavier and retracted by a separate mechanism after the bolt B herein had lfirst been retracted. In these and other respects l reserve the widestlatitude commensurate with the claims below.

'lilhat is claimed as new is:

1. In a lock, the combination with a spindle mounted to oscillate and to slide, mechanism tending to hold it at one eX- treme of its axial movement, and a bolt actuated by its oscillation; of a spring detent, an arm on the spindle normally engaging said detent, said spindle being slidable out of its said extreme position, to disengage the arm from the detent.

2. In a lock, the combination with a spindle mounted to oscilla-te and to slide, permutation mechanism adapted to be set to hold it at one extreme of its axial movement, and a bolt actuated by its oscillation; of a detent, and a lever on the spindle swung in a path intersecting said detent as the spindle is oseillated and latched automatically by such detent when the bolt is projected, the lever being moved out of such path A,when the spindle is slid out of its said extreme position.

3. In a look, the combination with a spindle mounted to oseillate and to slide in its casing, a spring bearing it normally to the rear therein, permutation mechanism for preventing or permitting its forward movement, and a bolt actuated by the oscillation of the spindle; of a detent member on the easing, and a lever member fast on the spindle and moved thereby, said members engaging each other when the spindle is oecillated while in its normal position but clearing eachy other when the Spindle is moved forward.

il. In a lock, the combination with a spindle'moimted tooscillate and to slide in its easing and having a knob on its front end, a` spring bearing it normally to the rear within such casing, tumblers adapted to be set to prevent or to permit its forward movement, a bolt, and connections between the bolt and the spindle whereby the oscillation of the latter moves the bolt; of a detent carried by the casing, an arm` carried by and movable with the spindle, the end of the arm swinging in the plane of the end of the detcnt when the spindle is oscillated while in its normal position but moved wholly out of said plane when the spindle is drawn forward, the end of said detent being yielding, for the-purpose set forth.

5. In a loc-lr, the combination with a spindle mounted to oscillate and to slide in its l.easing and having a. knob on its front end, a spring bearing it normally to the rear within such casing, tumblers adapted to be set to prevent or to permit its forward movement, and a bolt having atransverse opening; of a lever fast on the spindle and projecting through said opening for moving the bolt as the spindle is oscillated, and aspring detent fast on the casing and having its tip standing in the path of said lever as the latter swings while the spindle stands in its normal position, movement of the spindle forward carrying the lever out of position to be engaged by the detent.

6. In a permutation lock, the combination with a spindle mounted to oseillate and to slide, a bolt actuated by its oscillation, and means for latching the bolt when projected; of a collar swiveled on the spindle, a dog projecting therefrom, a stud having a channel receiving said dog, and a plurality of tumblers rotatably mounted around the stud and each having an interna-l groove adapted to be alined with said channel.

7. In a permutation lock, the combination with a spindle mounted to oscillate and to slide, a bolt actuated by its oscillation, and means for latching the bolt, when. projected; of a dog swivelly carried by and projecting radially from said spindle, a plurality of annular tumblers encircling the dog and each having a master groove and a plurality of blind grooves in its inner periphery, and a bearing on which the tumblers are rotatably mounted, the bearing having a. channel in which the dog is movably disposed.

8. In a permutation lock, the combination with ay knob spindle mounted to oseillate and to slide within its casing and having spaced shoulders on its body, a lever detachably mounted on its inner end, a spring on the spindle between the lever and a lixed part of the casing, a bolt reciprocated by the swinging movements of said lever, and mea-ns for latching said bolt when projected and for releasing it when the spindle' is drawn forward; of a collar swiveled on the spindle between its shoulder, a dog projecting therefrom, and a plurality of annular tumblers movably mounted around the dog and each having in internal groove, as described.

In testimony whereof, I ailix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY O. NIELSEN.

Witnesses:

G. IV. ELswooD, RAY E. WYATT. 

